Expedite

(v.) to hasten the action of

1. We can expedite the bank transaction if we tell them it is an emergency.

Explicit

(adj.) specific; definite

1. The explicit recipe gave directions for making a very complicated dessert.

Exposition

(n.) setting forth facts

1. The exposition by the witness substantiated the story given by the prisoner.

Expunge

(v.) to blot out; to delete

1. Bleach may be used to expunge the stain.

Extant

(adj.) existing; refers especially to books or documents

1. Some of my ancestor's letters remain extant.

Extemporize

(v.) to improvise; to make it up as you go along

1. It was necessary for the musician to extemporize when his music fell off the stand.

Extol

(v.) to give great praise

1. The father will extol the success of his son to everyone he meets.

Extraneous

(adj.) irrelevant; not related; not essential

1. During the long, boring lecture, most people agreed that much of the information was extraneous.

Extricable

(adj.) capable of being disentangled

1. The knots were complicated, but extricable.

Exultation

(n.) the act of rejoicing

1. Exultation was evident by the partying and revelry.

Facetious

(adj.) joking in an awkward or improper manner

1. His facetious sarcasm was inappropriate during his first staff meeting.

Facilitate

(v.) make easier; simplify

1. The new ramp by the door's entrance facilitated access to the building for those in wheelchairs.

Facsimile

(n.) copy; reproduction; replica

1. The facsimile of the elaborate painting was indistinguishable from the original.

Faction

(n.) a number of people in an organization working for a common cause against the main body

1. A faction of the student body supported the president's view.

Fallacious

(adj.) misleading

1. A used car salesman provided fallacious information that caused the naive man to purchase the old, broken car.

Fallible

(adj.) liable to be mistaken or erroneous

1. By not differentiating themselves from the popular band, the group was especially fallible.

Fanatic

(n.) enthusiast; extremist

1. The terrorist group was comprised of fanatics who wanted to destroy those who disagreed with them.

Fastidious

(adj.) difficult to please; dainty

1. The fastidious girl would not accept any offers as suitable.
2. The woman was extremely fastidious, as evident in her occasional fainting spells.

Fathom

(v.; n.) to understand; a nautical unit of depth

1. It was difficult to fathom the reason for closing the institution.
2. The submarine cruised at 17 fathoms below the surface.

Fatuous

(adj.) lacking in seriousness; vain and silly

1. The fatuous prank was meant to add comedy to the situation.
2. His fatuous personality demands that he stop in front of every mirror.

Fealty

(n.) loyalty

1. The baron was given land in exchange for his fealty to the king.

Feasible

(adj.) reasonable; practical

1. Increased exercise is a feasible means of weight loss.

Fecund

(adj.) productive

1. The construction crew had a fecund day and were able to leave early.

Feign

(v.) pretend

1. It is not uncommon for a child to feign illness in order to stay home from school.

Feint

(v.; n.) to pretend to throw a punch, as in boxing; a fake show intended to deceive

1. The fighter feinted a left hook just before he went for the knockout.

Ferment

(v.) to excite or agitate

1. The rally cry was meant to ferment and confuse the opponent.

Ferret

(v.; n.) to force out of hiding; to search for; a small, weasel-like mammal

1. The police will ferret the fugitive out of his hiding place.
2. I spent the morning ferreting for my keys
3. I have a pet ferret.

Fervent

(adj.) passionate; intense

1. They have a fervent relationship that keeps them together every minute of every day.

Fervid

(adj.) intensely hot; fervent; impassioned

1. Her fervid skin alerted the doctor to her fever.
2. The fervid sermon of the preacher swayed his congregation.

Fervor

(n.) passion; intensity of feeling

1. The crowd was full of fervor as the candidate entered the hall.

Fester

(v.) to become more and more virulent and fixed

1. His anger festered until no one could change his mind.

Fetid

(adj.) having a smell of decay

1. The fetid smell led us to believe something was decaying in the basement.

Fetish

(n.) anything to which one gives excessive devotion

1. The clay figure of a fertility goddess was a fetish from an ancient civilization.

Fetter

(n.) a chain to bind the feet

1. A fetter kept the dog chained to the fence.

Fickle

(adj.) changeable; unpredictable

1. He is quite fickle; just because he wants something today does not mean he will want it tomorrow.
2. Because the man was fickle he could not be trusted to make a competent decision.

Fidelity

(n.) faithfulness; honesty

1. His fidelity was proven when he turned in the lost money.

Figment

(n.) something made up in the mind

1. The unicorn on the hill was a figment of his imagination.

Finesse

(n.) the ability to handle situations with skill and diplomacy

1. The executor with the most finesse was chosen to meet with the diplomats.

Finite

(adj.) measurable; limited; not everlasting

1. It was discovered decades ago that the universe is not finite; it has unknown limits which cannot be measured.
2. The finite amount of stored food will soon run out.

Fissure

(n.) a cleft or crack

1. The earthquake caused a fissure which split the cliff face.

Flaccid

(adj.) lacking firmness

1. The old dog's flaccid tail refused to wag.

Flag

(v.) to become weak; to send a message

1. The smaller animal flagged before the larger one.

Flagrant

(adj.) glaringly wrong

1. The flagrant foul was apparent to everyone.

Flamboyant

(adj.) being too showy or ornate

1. The flamboyant nature of the couple was evident in their loud clothing.

Fledgling

(n.; adj.) inexperienced person; beginner

1. The fledgling mountain climber needed assistance from the more experienced mountaineers.
2. The course was not recommended for fledgling skiers.

Flinch

(v.) wince; drawback; retreat

1. The older brother made his younger sister flinch when he jokingly tried to punch her arm.

Flippant

(adj.) talkative; disrespectful

1. The youngsters were flippant in the restaurant.
2. The teacher became upset with the flippant answer from the student.

Flout

(v.) to mock or jeer

1. Do not flout an opponent if you believe in fair play.

Fluency

(n.) ability to write easily and expressively

1. The child's fluency in Spanish and English was remarkable.
2. The immigrant acquired a fluency in English after studying for only two months.

(Adj.) placing too much emphasis on trivial details; fussy; requiring a careful approach

1. All too soon, their excitement was punctured by their persnickety boss.